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W. Larran Meador, a 1967
graduate of Bellevue Senior High, is one of the few athletes
to have earned eight varsity letters during his tenure at
BSHS, during a time the high school was only grades 10
through 12. He joins the Hall of Fame after a career as an
athlete, teacher and coach.
Meador was a very determined athlete earning three varsity
letters in football and wrestling and two in varsity track.
In football, Meador during his junior football season of
1965 earned All-Northern Ohio league honorable mention on
offense. In his senior season he followed up with an
honorable mention defense, and a first team All-NOL
selection on offense. He was also named Most Valuable
Lineman his senior season. He was also selected to the
All-Northwest District team. As a co-captain Meador helped
to lead his team to a perfect 9-0 overall mark and an NOL
title (points scored, 238; points allowed, 44) and his team
was the last team to play on Harmon Field. The last game was
played on a field that had to be plowed out with tractors
because the snow was so deep.
As a
wrestler, Meador, a heavyweight in his junior season placed
in the sectional and was a district qualifier. In his senior
season as a co-captain he was the champion of two wrestling
tournaments, Milan and Perkins. He turned in a record of
18-3 overall and was a sectional champion and district
qualifier. He finished with a 39-10 record for his career.
In
track and field Larran in his senior season won the Bucyrus
Relays and was selected All-NOL and finished first in the
shot put with a toss of 50 ft, 2 1/2 in.
Also
during high school Larran was involved in choir, intramurals
and was also on the homecoming committee. He was also named
the Gazette Award Winner in both 1966 and 1967 as the top
male athlete, the first-ever two time winner of this
prestigious award.
Larran continued his football career after high school,
joining the Bowling Green Falcons football team. He earned
letters in 1969, 1970 and 1971and was also one of the
Falcons tri-captains. He was All-Mid American Conference
honorable mention as a junior, and All-Mac second team as a
senior.
After graduation from college he returned to Bellevue Senior
High School as a teacher. His first few years he taught
Driver Education but he soon went to Health and Physical
Education and during those years taught several of the Hall
of Fame Inductees. In addition to his teaching career, he
was assistant wrestling coach under a fellow Hall of Fame
member Robert Bailey as well as head wrestling coach for
five years. He also was assistant football coach under two
head coaches Terry Adams for 15 seasons and fellow Hall of
Fame member Ed Nasonti for five seasons. He coached five of
the current Hall of Fame members, including Ed Haynes, Ed
Nasonti, Brian Schubert, Brad Schubert, and Chad Kuhns.
Larran has one daughter
Dana. She is married to Paul Ciccarello and is a pharmacist
living and working in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. They just
welcomed their first son, Larran's first grandson, Joseph
Larran, this summer. His father is deceased and his mother,
Betty Meador, resides in Bellevue. Larran retired from
teaching after 30 years and still resides in Bellevue. |